1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for using signal-generated location information and established usage patterns of access points to optimally configure a wireless network, within a wireless communication network environment such as IEEE 802.11, BLUETOOTH™, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) or any other wireless environment. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of and a system of optimally configuring the placement of access points with a wireless network based on the distance range location information and/or the geographic position location information of the wireless devices, and based on usage patterns of the access points. The present invention can be implemented in a wireless network device, which may include discrete devices or which may be implemented on a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon chip.
2. Description of the Related Art
As wireless technology continues to advance and grow, the usage and the popularity of wireless devices will also increase and grow. Therefore, there may be an increase in wireless networks for providing coverage of wireless services therein.
Currently, configuration of a wireless network requires a significant amount of time spent by one or more IT specialist. This can be due to the fact that there may be a plurality of hidden spots within a geographic area that are difficult to detect when configuring a wireless network. Also, another difficulty can arise from not knowing the task-performance of a particular coverage area. In other words, it can be difficult to speculate what type of performance may be required for a particular coverage area at the initial stages of configuring a wireless network. Moreover, factors such as radiation patterns of signals and the physical makeup of the geographic area can make the task of configuring a network even more difficult. As the service rates for wireless IT specialist continue to increase, wireless network configuration is becoming increasingly costly. Therefore, there may be a need to keep the cost low while configuring a wireless network. Accordingly, the method of deploying an excess or redundant amount of Access Points may in most cases be more cost efficient or cost effective than deploying an IT team to make the layout measurements necessary for network configuration.